The cardinal also spoke about the rapid advance of the homosexual agenda, the decline in catechesis that, he says, has crippled the Churchs response to pressing moral issues of the day, and the growing danger of Christian persecution under an increasingly totalitarian government. Cardinal Raymond Burke

The cardinal, who heads the Vaticans Apostolic Signatura and is Americas most senior prelate, made the comments in an interview published earlier this month by The Catholic Servant, a Minneapolis-based newspaper, and republished by The Wanderer.

Asked about Pelosi, he said, Certainly this is a case when Canon 915 must be applied.

Canon 915 states that those who are obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.

This is a person who obstinately, after repeated admonitions, persists in a grave sin  cooperating with the crime of procured abortion  and still professes to be a devout Catholic, the cardinal said. I fear for Congresswoman Pelosi if she does not come to understand how gravely in error she is. I invite her to reflect upon the example of St. Thomas More who acted rightly in a similar situation even at the cost of his life.

The cardinal also urged the faithful to practice much prayer and fasting to counter the growing threat of the homosexual agenda.

They almost all say, oh, I’m personally against abortion. Look at me, I’ve had all these children (in SanFranNan’s case), who are YOU to accuse ME?. But I believe the government must not stop women from CHOOSING to have safe, legal abortions, because if not, they will go to back alley abortionists and the carnage will be so much worse.

They believe that absolves them. And they love the politics of it all...

If you really want to burn her, start telling everyone you know that she hates gay people and only wants to use them to keep power so that she can keep them bottled up somewhere they can’t corrupt ‘the chilrun’.

It's good (and very reassuring) to hear some plain-speaking, emphatic and scripture-based statements on social issues from an RC churchman of this level after the squishiness and lack of clarity of the past couple months from a higher level.

In Canon Law, the person with the duty to deny Communion to Pelosi is the pastor of the parish where she goes to Mass. If this is in the Archdiocese of Washington, that pastor knows that Cardinal Wuerl will come down on him like a ton of bricks.

It is preposterous for a bishop to have a “policy” of disobeying Canon Law. Yet, that is precisely what Wuerl has. He has let all his priests know that, in his diocese, Canon 915 is to be disobeyed, or they will suffer. He has made false and ridiculous statements about Canon Law—and these have been corrected in public by Cardinal Burke and by Edward Peters. But he has been obstinate in advocating disobedience to Canon 915.

Every time Nancy Pelosi receives Communion, the minister of Communion is declaring by his action that being a vociferous promoter of abortion is NOT sinful—which is a scandalous lie. Cardinal Wuerl, who obstinately continues to advocate that Canon 915 be ignored, is habitually in a situation of manifest grave sin.

This scandal, which involves not just Cardinal Wuerl, but the vast majority of bishops, is eating the heart out of the Catholic Church in America.

10
posted on 09/21/2013 6:34:33 AM PDT
by Arthur McGowan
(If you're FOR sticking scissors in a female's neck and sucking out her brains, you are PRO-WOMAN!)

Yada, yada, yada, Cardinal. Brave words but what are you going to DO about Pelosi and others like her? Will you send a letter to her telling her she can’t take communion and for her grave moral sin will be excommunicated? No.

Will you condemn any priest who allows her to take communion as an enabler and therefore a sharer in her sin? No.

It has been about five years since Cardinal Burke mailed his article on “The Discipline of the Denial of Holy Communion” to every bishop in the U.S. http://tinyurl.com/canon915

It IS time that Cardinal Burke initiated procedures to discipline the bishops who obstinately persist in disobeying Canon 915. These bishops are themselves obstinately persisting in manifest grave sin. They themselves should be denied Communion, according to Canon 915.

Of course, the only way to prevent a bishop who obstinately persists in public grave sin is to prevent him from celebrating Mass.

A South African bishop who was discovered to be a member of a homosexual message board was deposed. Pope Benedict removed dozens of bishops from office during his reign.

Which is more scandalous and destructive to the Church?—a bishop who posts homosexual musings on an internet message board, or a bishop who encourages public officials to promote abortion by refusing his own strict duty to deny them Communion?

The oft-repeated public statements of Cardinal Burke absolutely FORCE one to the conclusion that Cardinal Wuerl is obstinately persisting in manifest grave sin—to the detriment and scandal of the Church.

Why does Cardinal Burke not take steps to have Cardinal Wuerl removed as Ordinary of the Archdiocese of Washington? There is no VALID reason.

14
posted on 09/21/2013 6:56:09 AM PDT
by Arthur McGowan
(If you're FOR sticking scissors in a female's neck and sucking out her brains, you are PRO-WOMAN!)

If you really want to burn her, start telling everyone you know that she hates gay people and only wants to use them to keep power so that she can keep them bottled up somewhere they cant corrupt the chilrun.

the growing danger of Christian persecution under an increasingly totalitarian government.
................’
anyone with a historical ear knows that without pretty radical shifts in the country’s direction—this is coming.

There seems to be a diplomatic opportunity here. The Roman Catholic church might make some overtures to the Russian Orthodox church (and Putin), by suggesting that they are becoming a “moral center” of the Earth, as much by their protection of morality, as by the decay of morality in the west.

This would take great finesse on their part, that it appear as a compliment between churches, without any shift of power, and yet also criticism of the secular governments of the west that have seemingly lost their way.

Putin would also see it as complimentary for his efforts at Orthodox ecumenism in Moscow, so would likely be very friendly to the Vatican for some time.

In the west, the subtle message would be that the Catholic church is perhaps closer to righteous Orthodox people than it is to fallen Roman Catholics and certainly to liberal Protestants.

19
posted on 09/21/2013 7:48:48 AM PDT
by yefragetuwrabrumuy
(The best War on Terror News is at rantburg.com)

Can you please explain why the church continues to look the other way on all the politicians who publicly profess to be devout Catholics yet support and defend even late-term abortion and same-sex marriage? I was so hoping that when Pelosi and Biden went to Rome for the coronation of Pope Francis, they would be turned away when they went up for Communion, but they weren’t. That would have been the perfect opportunity to make a point, but instead, nothing happened!

Why doesn’t the Vatican excommunicate them and loudly explain why? To me, allowing this to continue in such a public way is tacit approval. How can the Church expect the rest of us to respect and obey if this is allowed?

Every time I hear Pelosi spew her lies about the Church, I just get so angry and, frankly, the lack of response from those in authority is causing me doubt and I don’t know how much longer I can continue believing in a church that allows this. (I left the Methodist church for that very reason.) Thank you very much if you can explain this to me.

Too bad the old bell, book and candle ritual of excommunication isn't still in the Roman ritual.

In the ritual the Bishop would pronounce:

We separate him, together with his accomplices and abettors, from the precious body and blood of the Lord and from the society of all Christians; we exclude him from our Holy Mother, the Church in Heaven, and on earth; we declare him excommunicate and anathema; we judge him damned, with the Devil and his angels and all the reprobate, to eternal fire until he shall recover himself from the toils of the devil and return to amendment and to penitence.

After reciting this The bishop would ring a bell to evoke a death toll, close a holy book to symbolize the ex-communicant's separation from the church, and snuff out a candle or candles, knocking them to the floor to represent the target's soul being extinguished and removed from the light of God.

How could a hypocrite like Pelosi even ask for forgiveness when she supports a health care plan forced on everyone that pays for abortion? Does she take money or provide funds for groups that enable or even provide abortions?

The hypocrisy is about the worst sin of the RC Church in the US. It's got rules, but those rules don't apply to how the elite govern.

First, just because those in authority are giving scandal doesn’t mean you have the right to give in to it.

In the case of some bishops, the reason is simple: They are Democrats. Also, the Church was systematically addicted to government money by Cardinal Bernardin and his cronies. (Bernardin (dead) was a pro-abortion Democrat homosexual. McCarrick (retired), same thing.)

In the case of the well-intentioned, it’s their age. They grew up in an age of incredible freedom for the Church. They were young adults when Kennedy was elected. They are still living in that dream world created by Joe Kennedy, where Catholics fit comfortably into the Democrat party and the society run by the Democrat party.

In many cases, it’s just plain fear and cowardice. Cardinal Wuerl likes federal money, and being invited to the best parties, and he’s blackmailable. His world would come crashing down if he confronted pro-abortion “Catholics” in any meaningful way.

NOTHING that vicious, stupid, or cowardly bishops may do justifies leaving the Church! The Catholic Church is Christ, and Christ is the Church.

36
posted on 09/21/2013 10:40:11 AM PDT
by Arthur McGowan
(If you're FOR sticking scissors in a female's neck and sucking out her brains, you are PRO-WOMAN!)

The reason is simple....the heart and soul of the Catholic church hierarchy is hypocrisy. Burke has been around long enough to remember priest Robert Drinin, congressman and advocate for legalized abortion. What happened to him? Highly honored in life and death by Catholic institutions despite or because of his “grave moral sins”.

Burke can blather on and on but so what? He’s “spoken out”, “taken a forceful position”, posed in his pretty red costume...who cares?

38
posted on 09/21/2013 10:57:04 AM PDT
by count-your-change
(you don't have to be brilliant, not being stupid is enough)

Pelosi has publicly and clearly stated she believes exactly the same go along to get along, please everyone, Christian Liberty garbage the anti-Catholic crowd and the majority of churches other than Southern Baptists and Catholics preach these days.

Since by her own public statement of faith she no longer accepts Catholic teaching she should be excommunicated.

40
posted on 09/21/2013 12:07:29 PM PDT
by Rashputin
(Jesus Christ doesn't evacuate His troops, He leads them to victory.)

Thank you very much for your response. A lot of it I knew (or surmised) but it still doesn’t seem right for the church to just give a pass on these very important matters. I realize I’m just a lowly parishioner, but IMO Rome could very easily take care of the problem even if it meant forcing the bishops and cardinals to do the right thing and I was really hoping Pope Francis would do it! Thanks again for your response. I appreciate it.

What happened to Drinan? Not nearly enough! OTOH, he had the effrontery, while a militantly pro-abortion Congresscritter to be part of a receiving line for Blessed John Paul II when the pontiff visited the District of Corruption. When JP II got to Drinan, he pointed a finger in his face and directly ordered him to leave Congress. Drinan obeyed and withdrew as a candidate for re-election. This is what allowed Barney Frank to be elected to that seat.

In better days, Drinan would have been burned at the stake after a prolonged and long overdue, ummmm, inquiry by skilled, ummm. inquirers. Regrettably Drinan, in our sorry and degenerate age, lived another quarter of a century and apparently died a natural death rather than suffering his just deserts at the hands of inquisitors.

There is a chain of command, and bishops are given wide latitude in pastoral decisions. Keep in mind that the Vatican has a smaller administrative staff than the University of Notre Dame, and oversees a flock of 1 billion
in almost every country.

This is why we see the Vatican making general, princpled statements, while leaving the particulars to local bishops.

Imagine the games that Pelosi could play if the Vatican became involved. Imagine the headline, “Pelosi receives communion in Texas church. Will the Vatican Respond?” And then this being repeated in countless dioceses around the world.

I see your point. Wish I could just turn off my feelings because every time she publicly receives communion or meets the Pope or gives one of her “I’m a devout Catholic and abortion is fully sanctioned by the church” screeds, it just infuriates me, like Teddy Kennedy’s funeral.

So Drinin, the priest who was the abortionists best friend, is ordered to not to run for office? Oh! the pain!

The hypocrisy of the leadership is stunning! Rant and wail about the horrors of abortion and then choke at the prospect of actually doing anything. How is the laity to view this half hearted effort? They practice abortion at about the same rate as non-Catholics.

48
posted on 09/21/2013 1:27:24 PM PDT
by count-your-change
(you don't have to be brilliant, not being stupid is enough)

Only her Bishop can do this officially and we do not know that he has not. Interdict letters are private and only the recipient could make it public. This is done so that the sinner may more easily repent and return to Our Lord.

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